This invention relates generally to the field of dispensing devices and systems. More particularly, this invention relates to the field of devices and systems for dispensing paper products such as napkins, towels, bath tissue, etc.
Various types of dispensers for paper products have been developed to provide ready availability of the paper products to users. Such dispensers are often provided in public places such as restaurants or ret rooms where customers remove from the dispenser a desired amount of paper products for personal use. In some high traffic areas, such as fast food restaurants, a large number of customers may use a paper product dispenser such as a napkin dispenser in a short period of time. Therefore, dispensers have been developed that hold a large number of paper products for use by a large number of consumers.
Unfortunately, large dispensers are subject to a number of drawbacks. First, it is difficult to uniformly dispense individual paper products or a controlled amount of paper products from a large dispenser without dispensing more paper products than necessary to a user. Thus, too many paper products are removed by a user, and some of the paper products are wasted. If too many paper products are removed from a dispenser, the benefits provided by a larger dispenser are eliminated as the dispenser is emptied more rapidly.
Second, many dispensers are difficult to load, and that difficulty can increase with the size of the dispenser. If paper products are not properly loaded into the dispenser, the paper products may jam as they are removed thereby preventing further removal of paper products by users. Also, a person refilling a large dispenser is more likely, due to the larger number of paper products involved, to drop some of the paper products onto a floor. Any dropped paper products are then unsanitary and must be discarded, thereby creating more waste and again defeating the benefits of the larger dispenser.
A further drawback of many currently available dispensers regardless of size is that it is impossible to determine without opening the dispenser how many paper products remain within the dispenser. Thus, a person must either periodically check the dispenser to determine how many paper products remain or be vigilant to refill the dispenser as soon as it is empty. Both alternatives involve much personal attention and, especially during peak usage, can lead to empty dispensers if dispensers are not vigilantly monitored.
According to certain aspects of the invention, a container is disclosed for dispensing a controlled amount of paper products. The container comprises a housing including a first end wall and a plurality of exterior walls defining an interior surface and an interior area within the interior surface for receiving the plurality of paper products. A first, second and third of the exterior walls intersect a first end wall to form a portion of the interior surface and define an open face of the container. Protrusions extend from the interior surface into the interior area for contacting the paper products. A cartridge is inserted into the interior area of the housing, the cartridge containing the plurality of paper products to be dispensed. The cartridge includes cartridge walls including a front wall disposed in the open face of the container when the cartridge is disposed within the housing. Openings are defined in the cartridge walls wherein at least one of the protrusions extends through at least one of the openings to contact the plurality of paper products. A slit is defined through the front wall for dispensing the plurality of paper products.
The container may also include cartridge retaining structure for retaining the cartridge in the interior area of the housing. The cartridge retaining structure may be configured on the first end wall or opposing second and third exterior walls.
The housing may include at least one element selected from blocks, chucks, stops, wires, braces, brackets, bars, pins, clips, hooks, clamps, adhesive materials, and interlocking container and cartridge geometries. The element retains the cartridge within the housing.
The container may include a fourth wall extending between the second and third walls adjacent the first end wall and the open face, and the container may define a dispensing throat extending through the fourth wall adjacent the slit in the cartridge. The dispensing throat may include a finger slot in the fourth wall and/or a thumb slot in the first end wall. A staging area may be provided proximate the first end wall for spacing and slowing the paper products.
The cartridge walls may include a bottom wall, the slit being defined by the front wall and the bottom wall of the cartridge. The cartridge may be configured so the slit is sized to have a horizontal dimension about the same as or slightly greater than the width of the paper products within the cartridge and a vertical dimension that is large enough to permit the passage of a limited number of paper products. Also, the vertical dimension of the slit may be between about 2 and about 10 times the thickness of an individual folded paper product. The slit may include a finger slot in the front wall and/or a thumb slot in the bottom wall.
The housing may include a bar connecting the second and third exterior walls for retaining the cartridge within the housing, and the bar may define a dispensing throat having a finger slot.
Structure may be provided for urging the paper products within the interior area in a dispensing direction toward the first end wall to a dispensing position near the slit. If so, the protrusions extending from the portion of the interior surface on the exterior walls may oppose the structure for urging.
The first end wall may be slanted relative to the second and third walls, and the cartridge may include a bottom wall configured to conform to the slanted first end wall of the housing. The first end wall may slant with upward or downward in the direction of the open face of the container.
The protrusions may include rib members extending from the first end wall of the housing and the cartridge may include openings at locations corresponding to the rib members. The protrusions may also include bumpers extending from the second and third walls, and the cartridge may include openings at locations corresponding to the bumpers.
According to certain other aspects of the invention, a container is disclosed for dispensing a controlled amount of paper products. The container includes a housing including a first end wall and a plurality of exterior walls defining an interior surface and an interior area within the interior surface for receiving the plurality of paper products. A first, second and third of the exterior walls intersect a first end wall to form a portion of the interior surface and define an open face of the container. The exterior walls further include a fourth wall extending between the second and third walls adjacent the first end wall and the open face. The container defines a dispensing throat extending through the fourth wall, the first end wall being slanted relative to the second and third walls. A protrusion extends from the interior surface into the interior area for contacting the paper products, and a cartridge is inserted into the interior area of the housing. The cartridge contains the plurality of paper products to be dispensed. The cartridge includes cartridge walls including a front wall disposed in the open face of the container when the cartridge is disposed within the housing, openings being defined in the cartridge walls wherein at least one of the protrusions extends through at least one of the openings to contact the plurality of paper products. A slit is defined through the front wall adjacent the dispensing throat in the housing for dispensing the plurality of paper products through the dispensing throat.
According to certain other aspects of the invention, a container is disclosed for dispensing a controlled amount of paper products. The container includes a housing including a first end wall and a plurality of exterior walls defining an interior surface and an interior area within the interior surface for receiving the plurality of paper products. A first, second and third of the exterior walls intersect a first end wall to form a portion of the interior surface and define an open face of the container. The exterior walls further include a fourth wall extending between the second and third walls adjacent the first end wall and the open face. The container defines a dispensing throat extending through the fourth wall, the first end wall being slanted relative to the second and third walls. A cartridge is inserted into the interior area of the housing through the open face of the container. The cartridge contains the plurality of paper products to be dispensed, the cartridge including cartridge walls including side walls. A front wall is disposed in the open face of the container, and a bottom wall is slanted relative to the side walls so as to be matingly disposed against the first end wall of the container when the cartridge is disposed within the housing. A slit is defined through the front wall adjacent the dispensing throat in the housing for dispensing the plurality of paper products though the dispensing throat.